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Planting raspberry canes

Now is a good time to plant raspberries. I was reminded of this by that jolly helpful Toby chap on Gardeners' World (although I did find it very hard to concentrate on what he was saying, so distracted was I by his ensemble - lace up boots, belted jacket, and a jauntily-tied scarf - it was as though Greenacre was doubling as a branch of Accessorize).

But no, when I saw past the horticultural styling, I realised he had a point - I needed to get a move on with my soft fruit.

So, this weekend saw the children and I planting the raspberry canes we had purloined from my parent's garden. We have gone for autumn raspberries as they need no supports and will fruit on canes that grow this summer.

Amazingly, as the picture shows, I didn't actually need to do the work myself as the children have become quite an effective planting partnership - Ava sensibly taking care of the dangerous equipment whilst her accident-prone brother sticks with the watering can.

You will also see that Ava must have been watching Gardener's World too - pink fleece, purple wellies, spotty tights and a tartan skirt - I believe she has the same stylist as Toby.